Honed
by Kabyxus
Summary: A girl abducted at a tender age is honed to become a deadly fighter for the Akatsuki. Quickly adapting to her new life of violence, her loyalty for the dark organization and an even darker lord becomes adament as emotions uncalled for thrust her into War.
1. Such Poison and Sin

**Tribulation: Unsanctified**

**Written by:**

_**Carreau Hyborean**_

(R'Jina Chouii)

**Chapter 1) Such Poison and Sin**

The grass was still wet at the current hour. Blades of vegetation fairly springing up from the soft earth like knives wielded by the hidden Danger. The sun was a fiery red, and barely visible above the mountains. Tsukiko drew her long blade and ran a slender finger down its edge. A shadowy figure watched her closely, face hidden by the dark cast by a tree overhead. Thick shrubbery hid them from view from the front. A swift katana and a sharp bearer should take care of the sides and back easily. "Are you sure you're only going to use your katana?" asked the figure with slight hesitation. Tsukiko turned up her dark eyes and her finger stopped to a halt on the blade. "There may be more than two men out there--things do not always go according to plan… We cannot afford to fail this one."

"Don't worry about me," Tsukiko breathed, getting to her knees. She fully drew the katana and watched it gleam in the sun fondly. "My Isamu has been through a lot--you know what I mean," she said, shrugging up her shoulders a bit and smiling at the man. "Isamu has tasted much blood. When I am with Isamu, you know that I have, well, 'Isamu!'" (A/N: Isamu means 'courage' in Japanese/'Tsukiko means 'moon-child' in Japanese. Very random, yes… and I'm sorry I couldn't provide more sufficient names.. ;;)

The mysterious man sighed, amused. He shook his head and knelt down to be on level with Tsukiko. "It is beyond me why you had named your noble blade 'courage.' Why name it at all? A shinobi doesn't have time for such things…. Orochimaru will be most displeased with your silly and foolish stabs at childish humor, Tsukiko." Tsukiko knelt down and brushed a layer of soft earth until a harder shell of clay lay beneath, gleaming black under the brown. Tucking her long black hair behind her ears, she sheathed her katana and drew a kunai. Taking the tip, she stabbed it into the clay, and after much struggling, the tip of the kunai dug its way into the earth. Tsukiko pressed a delicate finger into the earth, then rubbed her forefinger and thumb together. Her pale face slightly frowned, her lip curling in a cat-like expression of protest.

"Itachi-san, this place has no water… I… I am guessing that we are seventeen miles from the nearest river, where their village is. Are you sure that they are going to send scouts way out here?" Itachi reached up a hand and slowly lifted up the brim of his wide-brimmed field hat. His eyes were red with anticipation and cunning. That was answer enough for her. Smiling sweetly, she stood up and held her elbow with one of her hands. "Then I trust you." Behind his collar, Itachi's lips almost gave a small lift at the corners. It seemed as if less than seven years had passed since he had taken her away from her parents. That was when she was nine. At first, Itachi couldn't believe that Orochimaru would pair him up with such a weak and defenseless brat. Itachi placed a hand on Tsukiko's head, and she grinned.

"Tsukiko," he said in the gravely silent voice of his out of the blue, "what makes you trust me? I am a member of the Akatsuki, the mafia of Konoha… The Hokage fears us and the ANBU are terrified of our presence and works… Why is it that you trust me, after I had torn you away from your parents?" It wasn't usual for Uchiha Itachi to talk about personal feelings and truths. Tsukiko frowned again, her lips slightly parted in speechlessness. "Why is it…?"

She tugged at his cloak and drew her beloved Isamu, watching it glint. As she removed it from the bamboo sheath, the sword gave a rough, metallic sigh of its removal. "Itachi-san," she said breezily. He looked at her wordlessly in answer. "I do not need to trust you in order for me to obey you. You have my allegiance." She seized his hands and placed them on the sword's hilt, pressing the hilt to her chest, where her heart was. "I would do anything for the Akatsuki and for Lord Orochimaru, even if it should be the death of me." Itachi gave a small and cold smile; something rare for him. He looked down at her slightly-shorter-than-usual-for-a-seventeen-year-old frame, and her black, fierce determined eyes, both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. What a delightfully deadly creature. He did not remove his hand from her head.

"I know," he said. There was a moment of silence, before Tsukiko shrugged with that grin of hers again, and peered once again through the dense shrubbery. The air was still; it was much too still, and the forest mist hung around them in thick wafts. Tsukiko suddenly perked her ears up at the detection of a stirring from not very far away. Kneeling once again, she crept through the bushes, giving Itachi a last goodbye glance then moving on. Itachi surveyed her movements carefully; he couldn't find a single fault in her tactics, so he merely closed his eyes, facing off in another direction. "Goodbye, Tsukiko-chan. I except to see you in success once again."

Smiling, she crept away, disappearing. "I know." She pushed through some bushes, then squinted through the liquid-like moisture that was hanging in the air. The group she had heard was coming closer. She heard their voices through the gloom of the branches.

"So, where are we going now, Kakashi-sensei?" asked a voice that seemed over-bright for the environment. The voice as answered with nothing. "Are we training?" Another silence. "No one talks to me," the voice continued ruefully. "It's not cool, you're always leaving with us, not doing anything, I'd rather go to Ichiraku Ramen with Iruka-sensei than to stay with you guys… nothing to do! Maybe I'll just ask Ero-Sennin to teach me, instead you guys."

"Shut up, Naruto," said an oddly cold voice coming from right ahead of her. She peered through the branches, and saw the road before her. It seemed that four people were crossing. No, it wasn't the Hokage, thought Tsukiko with disappointment. But imagine Lord Orochimaru's pleasure when I bring four heads instead of one, she thought wildly. She felt that familiar tingling sensation in her stomach; she was having an overdrive of blood-lust. One of the four, a blonde ninja, had cuts and bruises all over him. An easy kill, and no fun to fight. The tallest of the four looked like a simple Jounin, which wasn't tough meat either. The pink-haired one was the same, with weak power and not much potential. But the last one… he looked terrifyingly strong; fun, real action, in four weeks of sitting around with other members of the Akatsuki. It was lucky that she wasn't wearing those long cloaks; she was donning the uniform of a female ANBU, because that's what she was before Itachi had taken her: an ANBU at the age of nine. Tsukiko crawled to the edge of the bushes, still remaining hidden, her narrowed eyes watching them intently. The one that seemed powerful suddenly became tense, and lagged behind the rest. The pink haired girl turned around and looked at the boy with curiosity.

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, in an annoyingly sweet voice. Tsukiko snorted silently. Stupid fan girls. She will never understand why any one girl would go chasing after a shooting star would never be caught--of course, Tsukiko could not possibly understand; she had never seen another member of the opposite sex besides the men of the Akatsuki. There were not many men, and she was one of the only female members. It was easy living with them, because nobody dared to question her, or pick a fight. Not when Itachi was always behind her. The one that the pink haired girl had called 'Sasuke' looked backwards, straight at Tsukiko. Tsukiko felt a sly smile stretch her lips as she slipped on an ANBU mask; a hard white-borne clay mask with an animal face painted in red colour. It wasn't the most attractive bit of disguise--it made the most evil villain look docile (like a kitten-in-training); but she wasn' there for laughs.

Sasuke turned around and looked coldly at Tsukiko's surveying spot. "I thought I heard something," he said gruffly, his voice reminding Tsukiko of Itachi. When the raven-haired boy stepped a bit closer, she tightened her grip on Isamu, her fingers barely squeaking on the bandaged hilt. She felt her pores begin to perspire; the very thought of ripping her katana through one of the rich Konoha-nin's flesh made her body excited. The silver-haired Jounin with them turned around and looked at Sasuke with a questioning glance. Sasuke did some quick hand seals, then instantly duplicated into twelve others, each copy appearing with a soft whir. When the others stepped back, Tsukiko realized that this situation was going to be tougher than she had imagined. With the other three behind the twelve copies of Sasuke, even if she had finished off the raven-haired brat, her chakra supply would be whittled down to meek; the attacking of two Chuunin, and a Jounin would be completely insensible. But Tsukiko desperately wanted their heads. And, if her plan didn't go smoothly, then she'll be taken captured, and when Itachi and the others came for Retrieval, their heads would still end up on Lord Orochimaru's wall all the same. Tsukiko felt one more rush of adrenaline flush through her body as she suddenly sprang up from her survey spot and made herself open for attack purposely. Sasuke apparently seemed confused; he had expected her to come for a more stealthy assault. His shocked face instantly turned into one of fury. "Then I'll kill you right here!" he hissed, running at her. The duplicates stayed in one place, while the Jounin commanded the pink-haired girl to hide. This made things a bit easier. These were obviously fresh-off-the-shelf Chuunin.

The raven-haired boy jumped up into the air and drawing out three kunai, threw it, every single of their pointy tips directed toward Tsukiko's heart. She extended Isamu a third of a way out of its sheath, and by abruptly swinging at the three weapons, deflected them easily. They fell to the ground with sharp clinks. Sasuke looked dumbfounded, but continued to strike viciously, drawing his Sharingan windmill blade out. He twisted his arm back, until when he had swung the huge, lethal blade at her, there was enough force for the blade to be in her blind spot. When she swiftly evaded it, she was horrified to find that one of the points had dug their way into her arm, making it bleed heavily; it was fixed in her arm securely; the blade's tip was sticking out from behind her arm on the other side. Sasuke looked smug, but as if he wasn't satisfied enough, he threw shuriken at her as she fell to the floor, gasping. He was about to run at her again when she seized the Sharingan windmill blade and tore it out of her arm, releasing tons of blood onto the earth with loud splashing. Tsukiko bit her lip and watched as Sasuke gained his heading and ran once again at her, a huge kunai ready in his fist. When he stabbed at her, a swift smile of triumph played on his lips, only to disappear when all that lay at his feet was a log with a kunai stuck through its middle.

"Kawarimi?" he muttered, turning around abruptly. This was the perfect place to use that technique; tree branches and thick forestry were everywhere, and the only way he could find her was if he was a stupid Hyuuga. Sasuke growled as he glanced all around him, panic rising in his throat like a stone. "Where are you, girl?" he asked with frustration. When Tsukiko did not reappear, he relaxed his shoulders and let his guard down, sure that she was gone. "Kakashi-sensei," he said, still looking above him without turning around to consult his teacher. "Kakashi-sensei, I think the girl's gone…" Suddenly he heard a scream, and turned around, horror on his face like a terrified mask. "Naruto!" he shouted, running back to his team.

Kakashi and the Tsukiko were enlaced in a terrible battle, their attacks so swift that Sasuke couldn't follow. Sakura lay bleeding against a stump on the floor, kunai thickly stuck in her legs and arms. A heavy bruise was on her forehead, and she was bleeding. A cut from her thigh to her ankle fairly screamed with blood. Sasuke quickly checked her status, then got up from his knees and shouted.

"Naruto!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Naruto! Where are you, you idiot!"

"Sasuke!" came a meek voice from in the tall grass. Kuso, thought Sasuke as he ran through the grass. She used Kawarimi no jutsu to get to my teammates… what skill! She used that simple rudimentary technique to both calm and distract me! While Sasuke wove through the tall green, Kakashi was having a tough time with Tsukiko. Tsukiko had fully drawn her Isamu, slashing swiftly through Kakashi's blocking. Kakashi wasn't able to lay a finger on her; when he paused, she took the opportunity and sliced his Jounin uniform from the left to the right. The tip of the blade scratched at his skin, and she was satisfied to hear him give a quiet grunt of pain. When she landed a heavy punch on his nose, he was thrown backwards and his back smashed into the trunk of a tree. Tsukiko heard a sharp crack, making her grin. Even Jounin can easily be broken. Kakashi coughed into his mask and tasted blood on his lips.

"Curses--you're really an annoying girl, aren't you?" he murmured, struggling to stand back up. A sharp pain made his back crack backwards, and he found himself falling painfully to the floor again. "Ugh… I can't win in this state," he said to himself quietly. "N--Naruto… Sasuke, run for it, I'll catch up to you later… I'm getting out of here!" With a cry of surprise, Tsukiko saw him disappear.

He disappeared? To where, she thought with panic. Suddenly she felt something painful dig into her leg. She had stepped in front of Sakura, who had laid there, bleeding on the floor. When she had woken up, Tsukiko had been right in front of her. In her reach. Taking a kunai, she had dug it into Tsukiko's leg, causing the dark-haired girl to stumble to the ground. Sakura gasped, "I've torn open one of your largest arteries in your left ankle! If you don't forfeit, I'll have to leave you here to die!" Tsukiko grinned wickedly and rolled over to look the terrified Sakura in the eye through her ANBU mask, which was cracked in several places.

"Who says we are going to die?" she asked. "I am going to live through this." Sakura watched with horror as Tsukiko did some hand seals and placed her two fingers in the ankle that was bubbling with blood. With a flash of blue light, the wound was gone. That was when Sakura ebbed away into black.

Sasuke found Naruto curled up in the grass, his leg twisted in an odd angle. "Oh, no," he muttered, eyeing the handiwork of Tsukiko's two-minute sparring. The blonde boy gave one last stupid grin before collapsing, out cold from the pain of his leg. "Naruto, you idiot…" Sasuke turned around, alone. Sakura had fallen unconscious long ago. Only Tsukiko and Sasuke left, now.

Tsukiko removed her mask with one hand, revealing her pretty, cunning face. Sasuke smelled the distinct scent of something sweet drift past him as she released her ANBU disguise. "Just give up," she said, sounding bored, even if she had a huge hole punctured in her arm. "You are the last one of your team left…. No need to push the number of casualties…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He had heard a quote like that from somewhere. She was wearing an ANBU mask, and yet….

"You are associated with the Akatsuki," he said coldly, watching her with his dark eyes. She looked mildly surprised. Chuckling darkly, he said, "Only members of the Akatsuki talk like that to their prey… cold pride with tactics mixed in with every single stupid sentence…. I'm sick of being reminded of Itachi…"

In answer, Tsukiko drew her Isamu from the sheath, and swung it casually in front of Sasuke's face. "I do not need you analyzing my behavior. I have already got the entire Konoha Special Ops after me--I do not need you meddling with my matters either. So you know Itachi? It seems that everyone does… He was, after all… the one who had taught me all there was to know about how to cleanly kill someone without the unnecessary spilling of fresh, warm, blood…" Sasuke watched, speechless, as she held up her Isamu and licked the red liquid off the blade without cutting her tongue. "I have grown to love it--the screams, the terrified faces, the coldness of death… I love it all…." She looked at him stonily, before gazing at her dear Isamu lovingly. Taking the hem of her ANBU uniform, she wiped the sword and slid it smoothly into the sheath.

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Such poison and sin. Itachi taught her how to kill? That would explain why she had beaten Kakashi so easily, as well as the rest of his team. He would not believe it. He couldn't, neither, did he want to. The very thought of his brother passing on his legacy of murder to a girl like Tsukiko-- how unfortunate. He looked at her facial features in a daze. Such a cute girl. It was a waste that she had been raised to be such a deadly killer. Her lip was bleeding, and she had a cut across a cheek, under her eye. He knew it was going to leave a dark scar on that skin. But the way she looked at him, her voice and her battle stance… she looked familiar; Uchiha Sasuke did not like having memories dug up, so he abandoned the thought.

Tsukiko looked ready to disappear, but he seized her wrist and threw her to the ground, pinning her down with his knees at either side of her hips. He seized a kunai, and placed it at her neck. She didn't look fazed at the least. With a sharp pang of horror, he realized that she had meant to get herself pinned down. She looked at him carefully, before asking, "What do you want from someone like me?"

He pinched his eyes closed, then opened them again. The sweat was stinging his eyes, and the mist hadn't gotten any lighter. It was still as thick as ever. When his eyes strayed down her waist and stopped at her belt line, he stared. The sheath was that of his father's, from long, long ago; with awe, he gently touched the silvery sheath with a bloody forefinger. He looked up at her with deadly silence, before asking with a shaky voice, "Who are you…?" Sasuke's mind was in a tumble; he couldn't believe he would see such a noble family icon on such a deadly girl.

No, a deadly assassin. She was no simple, stupid girl like Sakura or Ino.

She grinned and sat back up, brushing herself off, as if the very thought of having him touch her was like being dipped in a fifty-ton dust ball. Replacing her ANBU mask, she placed two fingers to the forehead of her animal-mask and cocked her head sideways jauntily. "It has been a pleasure playing with you!" she said. "I will have to retrieve your head some other time, I guess… I shall be seeing you soon, okay? In the meantime, train. I do not want to fight such a pitiful foe. Oh, and the name--" Pausing, she shrugged up her shoulders and grinned that smile of hers. "It is Tsukiko, and it is a pleasure to have fought you… but not really." She disappeared. He could still feel the cold ivory of the Isamu's sheath underneath his fingers. His dead father's pride… the noble sword was at the hands of that girl? Sasuke felt an immeasurable about of indignant pride rise up in his chest. That katana… fall into the hands of that… that Tsukiko, a peer whose hands are filthy and stained with the blood of millions of loyal Konoha Ops… He couldn't stand the thought of it. He felt his gut wretch, remembering that there were people to take care of.

He picked himself up and stood shakily to help the others; suddenly she reappeared behind him. He knew who it was; he didn't need to turn around to find out her identity.

He closed his eyes and almost smiled.

"Tsukiko." He almost felt her movements as she put a hand on her hip.

"Our fight was short, huh?" she asked, her voice unusually high in spirits. "Well then, let us make our next battle a bit longer, okay?" she piped jovially. "I cannot say it was exactly _satisfying_… but, judging by what you look like, your knowledge of Itachi-san, and the Sharingan windmill blade-- you are an Uchiha, are you not? To be honest with you, Uchiha Sasuke…" His eyes widened. "Our little spar has ended with disappointing results. I really hope that you will try your hardest next time… I want to see what Itachi-san's younger brother can do--your potential--yes, that is what I want to see… until then, Uchiha." Sasuke felt a soft whir of wind as she once more vanished. He sighed, then picked up the bodies of Naruto and Sakura.

"This isn't good," he thought to himself as he towed the others away. "Funny how a such a deadly and unruly girl can manage to win a battle without saying hardly any contractions…"

He could have laughed, if only his situation hadn't been so unlucky.

It was several miles to the closest hospital in Konoha.

- - -

Sasuke leaned against the stone wall of the bridge without much ease. He was gravely worried--about this new character that had entered his life and his business. The need to follow Orochimaru seemed petty now… the priority to revive and restore the Uchiha clan seemed much more practical and logical. It seemed so much more important to revive one's family than to go chasing after a snake madman. Sasuke smirked and bowed his head, his eyes staring holes into the grass. The river was flowing slowly beside him, the stones underneath the liquid appearing to jump to the current. Rivers… they never did seem to have a beginning. But when it ends… it's gone. No turning back. The river only flows in one direction. Such a stubborn aspect of nature was that it always goes one way, whether it turns back to make a cycle or not. It was something terrible, and sometimes… Sasuke felt as if he was merely another object trapped in its continuous, vicious rounds.

Questions flooded his head, along with pre-assumed answers as Sasuke picked up a rock that had somehow managed to escape the terrible flow of the river. Feeling the smoothness of the stone under his fingers, he quickly flung it toward the river, where he supposed it belonged. He was satisfied with gentle splashes as the pebble skipped cleanly over the water. Suddenly he heard a spoken voice behind him. "You are good at that."

"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said, sliding down against the wall until his whole form was submerged in the shadow of the bridge. At first, he thought maybe he shouldn't say much to his teacher… the interference of the Jounin, and the rest of the whole thing: soon, the Hokage, ANBU, and many others would be on his case. But, feeling that he couldn't keep everything burning inside of him forever, he felt his usually cold and wordless defenses leak. His fingers weakly gripped at the dirt underneath him. "That girl… Tsukiko-chan. I was wondering something…" The laid-back Jounin raised a brow until it nearly disappeared under his forehead protector. The peaceful silence was hanging in the air, but it carried more than its emptiness. There was a sudden drop in the atmosphere; dangerous times were ahead, and the earth recognized its time of defeat right away. Well, that was too much of a presumption. Just because Tsukiko was around didn't mean that Konoha would fall to the hands of the Akatsuki… did it? The Uchiha heir shook his head roughly. He wasn't even so sure about the safety of his own country anymore. Why was he so flipped over about some stupid girl? "Sensei… she had my father's sheath… she carries the Isamu."

His teacher shrugged carelessly. "So?"

Sasuke clenched his fists, his fingernails digging crescents into his sweaty palm. "What do you mean, 'so'? How could she have gotten hold of that sheath…! She isn't an Uchiha, so why? That shouldn't been mine! He promised he'd give me his sword, when I was just a kid--I remember…" He felt soft pressure on his crown as Hatake Kakashi laid a hand on his head. "I don't understand much anymore…"

"Just… don't worry about it," sighed Kakashi, looking up at the sky absent-mindedly. "Maybe you should get some rest; you're filling your head with things that shouldn't involve you…" His visible eye narrowed. "Shouldn't, but does." Sasuke was wordless, and kept a steady gaze ahead of him, refusing to look his teacher in the eye. Kakashi had somewhat lowered the amount of inquiries that were fair screaming at him inside of his brain. He felt his stomach churn with disgust as he remembered _her _smug face looking down at him.

'_Our fight was short, huh?" she asked, her voice unusually high in spirits. "Well then, let us make our next battle a bit longer, okay?" she piped jovially. "I cannot say it was exactly satisfying… but, judging by what you look like, your knowledge of Itachi-san, and the Sharingan windmill blade-- you are an Uchiha, are you not? To be honest with you, Uchiha Sasuke…" His eyes widened. "Our little spar has ended with disappointing results. I really hope that you will try your hardest next time… I want to see what Itachi-san's younger brother can do--your potential--yes, that is what I want to see… until then, Uchiha.'_

Sasuke was burning with fury. How could she degrade him so easily? Why didn't he affect her as he did everyone else? Even Orochimaru didn't even try to bother him, but… then again, there was that little glint in her eye that seemed to affect him just as he affected others. He felt weak; unworthy. That would have been puzzling enough, if only she hadn't been able to beat him up in five minutes flat. The very thought of it brought bile to his throat. He couldn't stand having someone stronger than him; it was that old Uchiha pride.

An image of Tsukiko suddenly flashed through his eyes; that mask that was slowly chipping away… that face, her movement, and her perfect precision and balance. She was the child of his older brother, Itachi--the man that he hated so much. Sasuke subconsciously closed his eyes and stood back up. He felt Kakashi's hand lift off of his head, and with a little 'I'll catch you later,' his teacher disappeared.

Sasuke was alone again. His fists relaxed. "That Tsukiko," he said under his breath. "Is not human… no one dares to touch an Uchiha… maybe Hyuga Neji knows about her--something about the arrogant way she spoke reminded me of that stupid bastar--"

"Sasuke."

The surprised and dismayed Uchiha boy turned around. Whirling around with a fingers straying near his kunai holster, he narrowed his dark eyes to find someone extremely unpleasant in front of him. The pony-tail, that stuck-up face, and those idiotic glasses that flash in the light: Kabuto. Kabuto smiled breezily and looked up at the sky. Sasuke stood tense, watching the evil shinobi continue to stare leisurely at the rolling clouds. It really was such a beautiful day; it was unlucky that he had to be captured in troublesome thoughts.

Kabuto raised the glasses up the bridge of his nose and surveyed Sasuke carefully. "It's pretty unfortunate that you're so troubled in your own thoughts--you can't really enjoy a day like this, considering that you're nothing but an Uchiha brat…" He watched the obvious insult sting the boy in front of him. Sasuke flinched and his eyebrows took a considerable dip, his dark obsidian eyes burning holes in Kabuto's shinobi sandals. Kabuto grinned wickedly. "I know what you're thinking about." His glasses flashed. "It's Tsukiko, isn't it?"

Sasuke suddenly turned to Kabuto with more interest, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion. "What? How do you know about Tsukiko-chan? What do you what? Tell me!" Kabuto put up his hands and when he noticed Sasuke slowly calming down, he scratched the back of his head apologetically.

"Don't get so hasty, Sasuke-kun. And my, my! Already speaking on name-terms with her? So you call her 'Tsukiko-CHAN? What happened? An incident close to you, perhaps? Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but… due to circumstances which are none of your concern, Lord Orochimaru will not allow her loyalty to him to be swayed. She is a valuable asset to him. Of course, my lord favors her a lot--" A flash of jealously actually seared across the ninja's eyes. Sasuke looked at him, dumbfounded. How could Kabuto, Orochimaru's right arm, be jealous of the place that Tsukiko held for Orochimaru? And could Tsukiko work for the Akatsuki as well as Orochimaru? Sasuke's eyes narrowed. There was a conspiracy going on, and he smelt trouble. Now, visiting that Hyuga was absolutely necessary. Kabuto babbled on, but Sasuke would hear nothing of it.

"Die, Kabuto," Sasuke muttered, dashing away. Kabuto merely smirked and disappeared.

Quickly, the Uchiha ran down the street, which was riddled with carts (and salesmen behind them). He had been offered 600 products before he actually reached the Hyuga manor.

Panting with exhaustion, he leaned against the huge wooden door for a fragment of a second before raising a fist to knock. **_Bnk, bnk, bnk… _**Seeing that no one was about to answer, he decided to intrude; scaling the giant wall until he breached its inner gates, he landed in the courtyard of the manor. There was no one; was everyone gone? Well, if that Hyuga idiot was gone, than it was okay; better having him gone than having him here. 'Wait, no, no, no!' something screamed inside of him. 'You can't just leave this place! You have something to investigate! C'mon, there's got to be a freaking maid around here somewhere! A bloody servant, anything!' Sasuke grimaced, then ran down the many hallways surrounding the courtyard, fearing that his sanity was slowly leaving him. Skidding to a halt, he heard voices.

"Listen to your uncle, Neji-sama. You must not get him angry; you know that he's the one that pays us, humble servants… haw, haw, haw…" Whoever was speaking, a worker, as Sasuke assumed, he or she wasn't getting an answer. Soon, he heard something that sounded awfully familiar.

"Hn."

'Oh, my god! That's him!' Sasuke's subconscious mind screamed. 'C'mon, round him off and speak to him about this Tsukiko!' Sasuke decided that he was going to see the doctors before this whole fiasco was over. Taking a deep breath, he flattened himself against the wall and waited until the footsteps coming toward him rounded around. He jumped out, and seeing the annoyed expression on Neji's face, scowled to intensify emotions. Neji's brow was twitching. "Uchiha," he said in that smooth, dark voice of his.

Sasuke looked at Neji just as coldly. "Hyuga."

The servant was terrified (it was an old man with an apron). "Oh, dear! Neji-sama, what are we going to do? There's an intruder! There's an intruder!" The poor man was going ballistic, unknowing that Sasuke and Neji were barely on speaking terms. Neji had looked a bit annoyed at first, but soon anger sparked his features. The servant was clearly responsible for annoying him. "Oh, my goodness… the Master will be very displeased in finding a young and troublesome Uchiha inside of his household…" Sasuke looked around. This was hardly merely a 'household.' More like a mansion, with five hundred extra rooms. The atmosphere was tingling, and the two boys were watching the servant hustle and bustle. The old man was having difficulties keeping a hold of his tray, along with keeping his apron clean. It was absolutely filthy; Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the foolish servant's clumsiness.

Neji lost his temper, a vein popping in his forehead. "Get away from here, and leave us be, Matashi." His voice was flat, and commanding, like a king in his household. Sasuke realized that Neji had been living in high-state all of his life. Neji turned his white eyes to Sasuke with much suspicion. "What is it that you need? You nearly killed him with fright--Matashi was never an actual man…"

"Do you know anyone by the name of Tsukiko? I do not know the surname, so don't ask…" Neji narrowed his eyes, and Sasuke felt even more tension seizing the air like a giant fist. The day was beautiful, and Sasuke wished with desperation that he had just stayed where he was, at the bridge, so that he could beat up Kabuto senseless… It seemed much more comfortable to do that than to speak with a Hyuga; those pupil-less eyes scared him. There was a huge silence. Neji uncomfortably found himself staring off to the side; talking with an Uchiha wasn't easy either. But Sasuke couldn't tell whether Neji was looking at him, or something else. Heck, Neji could have been looking everywhere: as in, 360 degrees of field vision. That's what a Hyuga was born to do anyway. "Tsukiko. Do you know anything about her?" he demanded.

Neji narrowed his eyes even further until they were nearly slits. "And if I do?"

Sasuke held up a kunai. "Then--I interrogate."

The Hyuga prodigy closed his eyes, a small smirk playing on his lips. "You praise yourself too much… obviously, that fat Uchiha pride has gotten to your head. Do you realize who you are dealing with, Uchiha?"

"A filthy Hyuga."

"You are bad at speaking terms; do you expect me to tell you anything after you have insulted and threatened me?" Sasuke lowered the kunai ever so slightly, obviously feeling sheepish; an embarrassed blush crept across his cheeks as he firmed his grip on the kunai. "You'd make a terrible ambassador."

"But I'm not an ambassador," Sasuke said coldly, "I am an Uchiha. Talk."

"I'm not much for talking at the moment, great Uchiha. Forgive me, Master Uchiha… I'm too busy with the duties you have given me, Master Uchiha…" Sasuke's blood boiled at the sound of the obvious sarcasm escaping from the Hyuga's mouth. Neji bit his tongue with satisfaction. He already noticed the uncommon stir of blind rage building up a hurricane in the Uchiha's mind. The very sight of an overly enraged person seemed to make Neji wish to fight--noble sparring, his uncle called it. Neji called it fun. Neji had always been the greatest fighter out of both the Main House and the Branch House of the Hyuga. Hinata… she was of the Main House… the Branch had always had to be a type of bodyguard and slave to the Main… it felt so degrading, so lesser than what Neji felt he deserved--at the Chuunin exam, Neji had resolved to kill Hinata, his cousin, so that he would spare the humiliation that he felt his family had suffered all of these years… the Main had the power to kill the Branch with a snap of their fingers… it was an old family tradition! Neji couldn't stand it. "Sasuke, what do you want? So you want to know about this Tsukiko? Come with me."

Sasuke smirked with satisfaction and followed Neji through the many twisted halls and jeweled corridors of the Hyuga Branch House. "I knew you would lower yourself as to help me, Hyuga Neji."

"I never knew you would accept my help, and come begging for it so desperately… Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke decided that it was better to shut up. Neji was pretty good at insulting and flinging back phrases. What was his tongue made out of? Poison? If it had been so, Sasuke would have believed it. Their steps resounded through the twisted hallways. Ancient oriental decorations of various origins were mounted upon the walls: fans, paintings, articles, and weapons. Katana and other noble blades gleamed in the dim lights of the Hyuga estate. The young Uchiha was painfully reminded of Isamu, and his father's sheath. Neji watched Sasuke with much care, as if expecting a rash attack. When Sasuke did not attempt any assault, the white-eyed ninja kept his eyes forward. "Where are we going?" asked Sasuke impatiently. "What's taking so long?"

"You should be more patient, Uchiha. Or is it some family trait that cannot be averted? Pff… Why am I bothering to argue with you," he said afterwards, sighing. Sasuke grimaced, and his jaw tightened in anger. Say what? "We're almost there," Neji said carelessly, looking up at the ceiling. "Although Tsukiko wasn't a Hyuga, I believe that her parents lived in the Hyuga household for a long time… she might have even lived with _me_, for a short period… I don't know. But if you really want to find out for yourself, here we are." They had stopped in front of a large wooden door with its paint barely chipped off; however, as old as the paint seemed, the door gleamed with a certain aspect of freshness, as if it had been newly painted.

Neji opened the door with some reverence.

"Don't break anything," Neji said crossly. "My uncle would have been be very displeased if you should ruin anything… these albums are very old." Sasuke ignored him and placed a hand on the binding of the old album that rested on a podium in the back of the room against the wall. The room itself was piled high with scrolls, records, and dusty books. The album was dark red, with leather binding and there was a stain of something dark red on the corner. Sasuke turned around and pointed at it to Neji, who shrugged. "Blood stain," he said casually. The young Uchiha was dumbstruck. How could such a stupid old album be that valuable? Was there something about Tsukiko that he didn't know?

As he leafed through the fragile album, he came across several old photos and portraits. "Who's this?" he asked. Neji strode over to him and looked at the page intently, before shutting his eyes and turning away.

"It's… no one," he said shakily.

"He looks an awful lot like you," Sasuke said thoughtfully.

"That's because… he's my father." The Uchiha looked at the Hyuga with confusion, the raising of his brow the only thing that indicated any expression of any sort. Neji knew that leaving an explanation hanging like that was something that wasn't tolerable for an Uchiha, so he found himself digging into his own memory, his mind struggling for breath as it began to upturn the earth of something long lost that he thought he never had to remember--the death of his father. "My father died… for the likes of the Main Family," Neji said stiffly into the silence. Sasuke averted his gaze from Neji's stone-like face and chose to close them. So the Hyuga had dead family members too… there was much more that the had in common than Sasuke had known. Neji continued with much hesitation. "I--We don't know why he had to die… It was… the Main Family's fault… I… I still didn't understand why my father, of all people… He was twin brothers with Hiashi-sama… and yet they still…" Neji regained his composure. "What am I saying? Uchiha, you asked about Tsukiko, so start getting the answers for yourself! Hurry, I don't have all day! I'm stuck in here, when I could be training outside…"

Sasuke sighed and flipped through some other pages. "With Dog-brow, I suppose."

Neji frowned. "Lee. And Tenten."

The raven-haired prodigy snorted and turned over a new page, examining every face, every expression… "Women only get in the way… they're a real nuisance…" Neji grimaced.

"You should not underestimate the power of the opposite sex," he said in his bland manner. Sasuke closed his eyes and laid a hand thoughtfully on the old, yellowing page. No, for the first time ever, the Hyuga was correct. Tsukiko was a nuisance, all right… but she definitely wasn't someone weak; just the remembrance of their 'little' fight, as Tsukiko called it, only made the scratches left from their battle burn as he cringed with agitation. Neji stepped toward the young Uchiha and for a split second, looked as if he would lay down the impenetrable shield that normally surrounded his stoic figure; but instead, he ended up clenching his fist. It wasn't worth it to risk a connection with this Uchiha, Neji thought as he looked aside.

Sasuke was busy elsewhere in his mind. Looking at every single photo, every picture and every portrait, he studied the faces of the young children in the family, maybe even the ones that visited the guest rooms; no sign of Tsukiko. Suddenly he spotted two people: a man and a woman were standing by what appeared to be a younger Neji's uncle. The man and the woman…. Looked familiar. Suddenly, a cold stone plummeted into his stomach. Sasuke felt bile rushing up through his throat. The man, he recognized. It was… Sasuke felt weak; he fell to his knees and buried his face with his hands, staring at the picture. The angular face, the stern eyes and the dark hair… "Father." Neji looked down at the picture, and helped Sasuke up. Sasuke was threatened to black out. He couldn't believe it. The man, he recognized. The sight of the man that he had held up as a hero was suddenly brought back up in his mind. The very scent of the album itself became over-intensifying. The woman, he did not recognize at all. So could this mean… "Father had an affair…"

Neji looked at the photo carelessly. "Ah."

Sensing the young Uchiha's distress, Neji closed his eyes and moved to close the album, but was met with Sasuke's kunai at his face. "Don't close it," Sasuke muttered. Neji paused, then stepped aside. Sasuke stood back up. 'What are you doing, Sasuke! You idiot!' The inner voice that Sasuke thought he had drowned in the blood of his fallen enemies had somehow remerged as a stronger spirit; something that Sasuke had known to be dead forever. Sasuke didn't know that he had much spirit left in him anyway.

So…. His father had an affair, huh? That would explain… Itachi's upset manner when father had returned from that little 'journey.' So little old me was too foolish to understand what had happened; my older brother had been much wiser than me… Sasuke would have understood why his father would have had an affair with this woman… she was beautiful. There was a little baby in her arms; the future of his father's innocence was to be tainted anyhow… after the infamous Itachi's Uchiha Massacre.

He had killed every one of Sasuke's family members… with his own hands. When the term 'family' is mentioned, it is actually equivalent to one 'town.' In other words, some hundreds of people killed by one arrogant ninja: Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Neji watched Sasuke grind his teeth. "Uchiha, you've had your time. Shouldn't it be time for you to go home?" Sasuke stood silent. He knew that he would never have a home, no matter what should happen. Sometimes, having Naruto was actually interesting. Even still--Sasuke's heart burned with fury; he hated everyone, save the ones strong enough to give him a good whipping. To defeat an Uchiha was a great honor indeed. Not to mention a blessing, requiring the greatest skills, and the honing of techniques: those hand-seals were not exactly simple to memorize.

Tsukiko-chan….

Sasuke's heart sped up just thinking about Tsukiko; the katana gleaming in his eye, and the way she flawlessly defeated him with smooth movements and expertise… just the thought of the defeat was unbearable. Her face smirked at him through the dark shadows in his head. Her lips parted, and he really almost heard her speak to him in her voice: "Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke looked up to see not Tsukiko, but Neji. Neji was looking at him with much annoyance. "You should be getting home now." Sasuke held up the album.

"Mind if I borrow this?" he asked. Neji looked dubious, but he reluctantly agreed.

"The head of the Hyuga house won't be too happy… but if you promise to return it tomorrow, then the borrowing can be arranged, Uchiha." Sasuke heartily agreed, then eagerly brought it to his apartment.

The night was dark, and the air smelt of sweetness, and Sasuke breathed it in. The smell was familiar, somehow. Taking the key and twisting it into the lock, he was greeted by the yellow light of his room. Wait… "Kuso… someone's in the house!" Tucking the small album away, Sasuke drew his kunai, watching the light glint off of their incredible sharp edges. There was no one in the sitting room.

His nerves still tight, he entered the room and closed the door with a dull slam. The sound echoed through the house; it almost seemed dead. Everything was silent; but Sasuke heard breathing. It was soft; and he could almost shivering through the hallway. The corridor was dark, and the dripping of water from the sink was the only sound. Sasuke crept down the hallway with the care of a rat in a cage full of cats. One wrong move; one stirring sound, the creaking of a floorboard, the sigh of the walls… could be the death of him. Sasuke held his breath, and leaned against the wall. The breathing was coming from a room just around the corner. Swinging into the room by flinging the door open, he held up his kunai defensively. No need to kill a few robbers breaking in to steal nothing. Sasuke never kept his precious belongings in his house. Actually, nothing was valuable to him much. There was someone sitting on the bed, waiting. The dim light coming through the window was red. Unable to see or identify the intruder, he pulled a cord on the wall, and a light flicked on.

His eyes widened as he saw who the person was. The sweet scent lifted to his nose again; that confident face, it could only be… "Tsukiko-chan," he croaked. She looked at him with the air of a child gazing at her child-hood hero. But it was clear that she was here for another reason than to chase him, like those other girls. Tsukiko sat with her legs uncrossed; her fingers were pale, and the right hand had several scratches, reminding him of Rock Lee. "Tsukiko-chan, what are you doing here?" he demanded hoarsely.

"Whatever I want," she said, leaning back and swinging her legs off the edge of the bed. "Actually," she said, a bit more seriously. "I need to talk to you, Uchiha."

He snorted. "That is all too clear, Tsukiko-chan. What do you want?" he growled.

Tsukiko tilted her head up and looked at him haughtily. "My, are not you a cold one? When we first made our little 'confrontation,' I sort of thought you to be the sentimental and caring type. You checked all of your precious teammates' bodies… something that I wish my subordinates would do when we get in trouble… which is hardly ever," she said jokingly. A shiver rushed up the young Uchiha's back. Subordinates… she had subordinates? But that was to be expected of a shinobi with a rank higher than a Jounin, or even a Black Op. She was the weapon that was to be used by Lord Orochimaru, even if she was loyal to the ranks of the Akatsuki. Itachi… "Uchiha…" she said softly. She seemed serene, her eyes lowered down.

"My brother… does he… speak of me?"

"Itachi-san is very kind to me," Tsukiko said, avoiding the question. Her voice sounded hesitant, wavering like the notes of a sad symphony. At least, that is how he thought of it to sound like. He stepped more into the room, and closed the door silently, as if the mere sound of the clicking of the lock would make her disappear. His heart was screaming, and his mind was fogged up. His eyes felt as if they would never blink; the mentioning of his brother's name always caused him to lose control of his own sanity.

Sitting down beside her, Sasuke looked down at the floor. His hostility and cautiousness disappeared with the sound of her voice speaking about his brother, and the Akatsuki. He didn't even bother to pay attention for valuable information. He just… listened. Something that he'd rarely do.

"Itachi-san… I… He is like family to me… even though we're not even related… I understand that he is your brother… I know that this is uncomfortable for you, but--I just wanted to tell you that, deep down inside, I am sure he respects you. Please, do not get me wrong. He does not love you either, but he does not hate you. So please, please, do not kill him…" Tsukiko's fingers gripped at his sleeve. He looked at the other with something misty flashing across his dark eyes. "Please… I beg you, setting aside my pride… don't kill him." That was it. The first contraction. For a split second, a trusting honesty appeared to ring through the two; but it wasn't something of true material… it wasn't long before he couldn't hold the gaze and looked once more upon the ground.

Sweeping lines with the toe of his shoe, he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry--you… must understand, Tsukiko-chan. He killed every one of us, and now you expect me to let him live? I swore the very day when I saw my family fall to the floor--I swore that I would never let him get away with it alive… But he-"

He gripped his head, as if some unknown agony was ripping through his mind; spiritual migraine.

"-He left me alive… with these memories… I… I can't bear it any more… every day, the memories grow more distinct--more defined… he did this to me intentionally… he wants me to suffer… the blood…" His eyes squinted, tears escaping from his tear ducts. "…Tsukiko-chan, the blood…"

Tsukiko raised her fingers to her lips and bit her thumb until it bled. He watched as she wiped her thumb onto her face, on the scar that he had made on their first encounter. "We all bleed--it runs in our veins, and…" she rubbed her fingers together, "… it is not something to be feared… Tsunade--she is someone that I carry a deep respect for. She knows pain. And not the kind that can be mended. For that reason, she fears the very thought of blood. But Sasuke--you are not afraid of blood are you?" The young Uchiha closed his eyes.

"No," he said after a long pause. "I am not."

He felt her fingers let go of his shirt, and he suddenly felt wholly empty, as if he was alone in the room. They were both very aware that they had been a bit too close than they would have liked, and they both understood that their thoughts were not of blood, but of Itachi. Somehow, the two things seemed to go hand in hand. Sasuke breathed in, then reached behind his head to remove his forehead protector.

Taking it in his hand, he tied it onto her arm with tenderness, his half-closed eyes dark in the shadowy evening. The red light from the window had turned to a royal purple, heralding the glorious rise of the moon. A cold but gentle wind wafted through the window and seemed to curl itself comfortably around his working fingers. For some reason, she felt as if he had woven the bittersweet curse of friendship into the metal plate upon the band. The plate itself had somehow gotten a strange glow to it; Tsukiko didn't know if it was only her; but by his silence, she knew that they were both feeling the same way. Two rivers conjoined by mere air.

Tsukiko was silent. She was as tense as a bowstring, tight and alert.

Silence.

As his fingers made the last knot, she walked up to the window, with thought of leaving. She reached up to open the window, but was stopped when he suddenly appeared next to her. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and opened the window for her, without saying a word. There was a moment of silence. When Tsukiko's narrowed, obsidian irises searched his face, she was only met by a peculiar warmth from his own eyes. As if out of impulse, she shut her eyes and faced the window, climbing out with the agility of a stray cat. No words were exchanged. She turned around and knelt down to close the window. She saw that he had seated himself at the edge of the bed. When he slightly turned his head to look at her with that coolness that made her fiery love of battle flare to his fullest extent. Her fingers strayed to the hilt of her Isamu, but she closed the window abruptly and turned away with a measure of considerable force and disappeared into the swiftly falling night.

**- - - **


	2. Tussle

He was on a hill overlooking Konoha, just east of the Hokage Monuments. The sky was already in deep sunset. Itachi leaned against the firm bark of the oak, feeling its roughness grip his back in a promising embrace. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the sweet night wind. The weight in his chest lifted a bit; a soft thud next to him and a hug into his waist announced the arrival of Tsukiko. Nuzzling into his cloak, she looked up at him happily. "Itachi-san, it is a quiet evening." He allowed her the pleasure of a small smile. She let go of him and leaned against the same tree. Her eyes were closed, her head lifted up. "I can smell the stirring of restless minds… something is happening…" Itachi's red retinas flickered with acknowledgment.

"Yes… I can feel it as well--Tsukiko." Tsukiko smiled cheerfully and laid her head on his arm. He did not remove his arm from her, enjoying the pressure applied. "Tsukiko, do not stray off like that again… Orochimaru would be very displeased…" His throat burned from saying the cursed name. Just the treaty between Orochimaru and himself still did not destroy the hatred between them. If Orochimaru was that desperate to get at his little brother, then--

"Itachi-san," Tsukiko suddenly piped up. Itachi blinked, then looked down at her glowing face. "The reason why I left… was because I wanted to speak with someone."

"I told you not to go interrogating drug dealers, Tsukiko, it's just not worth the time…"

"Not drug dealers, Itachi-san."

"Oh…? Then who?"

Tsukiko hesitated, and looked at the ground, the wind gently tossing her long, straight, dark hair. "It was Sasuke. I told him that trying to kill you was pointless…" Itachi smiled with satisfaction, his rare show of expression hidden by his collar. He lowered the field hat until it covered his eyes. So Sasuke was still going on about killing him? Tsukiko wasn't wasting her time after all… if he could get Tsukiko close enough to his little brother, then Orochimaru would be highly pleased, with them both. "He still wishes to destroy you. Yes, I told him that it was useless trying to defeat you--" She grinned and opened her eyes. "You are far too strong." Itachi involuntarily felt the taste of pride well up in his throat. Her smile dropped. "You teach me. Arigatou." He nodded in acknowledgment and approval. He muttered a small 'yes…'.

Itachi reached down toward her thigh and lifted the flap of the kunai holster, drawing one that was closest to his finger's reach. Lifting it up, he took her hand and calmly sliced off the tiny hangnails and smoothed the ragged edges of her fingernails. She didn't move a muscle, her eyes focused on something else. As he continued his work, he said in his low voice, "Tsukiko, you should be more careful… battle scars aren't for women… it'll ruin your skin." Tsukiko snorted playfully.

"It's alright, you do not have to worry of me, Itachi-san." As she spoke, she kept sweeping back her hair from her face with considerable annoyance. She groaned as the naughty hairs somehow fell into her face again. Seeing this, Itachi removed a few inches of bandages off of her arm, and, without a word, tied her hair back for her. She reached up behind her fretfully, her eyes upturned. "Itachi-san, it is really all right! I can tie back my hair on my own," she said with a small laugh, a pout on her face. But she remained still until he had finished his brotherly duty. She sighed when it was finally out of her face. "Thank you, Itachi-san, you have always tied it a bit better than I was ever able to, anyway."

The corner of his lips lifted. "That is because you are not like other weak kunoichi. You are… strong."

She giggled. "Do I really seem that much like a man to you, Itachi-san?" The lifted corner of the mouth rose a bit more. Tsukiko allowed herself the luxury of letting her guard down. She felt all of her muscles ease and relax, and for the first time ever, she felt sleepy. She rubbed her eye and groaned, "Itachi-san…"

"You are tired," he said, his tone blank and empty as usual. "We should head back to the Akatsuki…"

She nodded, and he picked up his tired pupil and dashed off. He had realized how precious Tsukiko was to him long ago. She was almost like a baby sister. She depended on him, and respected him with the utmost courtesy that any Akatsuki member most certainly did not deserve. She was kind, understanding, and innocent (save the blood of thousands on her hands). She had been annoying when she was first assigned to him, yes… But after a while, their trust in each other grew, and soon, the two were inseparable. Itachi felt that, sometimes, without Tsukiko, he would be the most lonely man on the earth. He would gladly risk his life to save her from instant and certain peril. That was why he did not like her fighting alongside Orochimaru: that snake-man was the slyest man to live, as well as the most treacherous.

"Tsukiko--Staring tomorrow, I am going to be gone for a long time," he said suddenly. He scolded himself. He was going to save it for later, but now she knew. Tsukiko turned her eyes toward Itachi, and questioned him immediately. "There's something going on in the Waterfall Country," he said seriously. "I've got to leave…"

She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a sisterly hug. "Well, hope it is successful, Itachi-san." He smiled, then placed a hand on her head.

"Don't worry."

Gaara lay awake all night, not daring to disobey the sleeping demon inside of him. His eyes strained to stay awake; he wanted with all of his energy to listen to the Shukaku--somewhere, where his heart should be, he believed that Shukaku was somehow connected to the spirit of his mother; what did normal people say? Obey your parents. Sometimes Gaara felt as if Shukaku was the only one he would listen to. But even still, he hated the demon inside of him.

His head constantly burned with pain from the lack of sleep, and his back hurt from the weight of the huge gourd on his back. It blinded him with so much pain--it was almost as if it took over his very beingà 'Everyone hates me… They are dangerous; I must kill them all!' Perhaps it was the way everyone avoided him, and maybe this was why he perceived their avoidance as 'hatred.' But in truth, nobody hated him. Few did. But many feared him, and this was a problem. He remembered being involved with the Akatsuki; how he hated it! Using him in battle as if he was some sort of monster on a leash! Gaara's blood boiled, but then, it always did; he was always in a fit of rage, no matter what.

Dawn came with hesitation; the sky split with a flash of pink, a golden sun heralding the new morning. Gaara looked up at the dawning sky, then sighed with exhaustion. His face showed no emotion whatsoever. Standing up with difficulty due to the gourd on his back, he staggered a bit.

"Gaara," called Temari, his 'sister.' "Come on. We've got to head toward Konohagakure!"

He closed his black-lined eyes and rubbed his forehead tiredly, his fingers straying along the tattoo on his brow. The kanji for 'love' shown in red on his skin. Kankurou sighed irritably and turned around, deciding to walk without his other two siblings.

The demon-bearing 'monster' walked calmly past Kankurou, who shuddered with his passing. The other two followed Gaara, who normally led the party. Nobody wanted to displease him. The trees were passing by quicker than they would keep track of. They were traveling at a terrific rate; the wind was whistling around them all. When the final breath of the sky's sigh flowed along the ground, they were there. And who was at the gate than Shikamaru, the famous lazy ninja who had become a Jounin before all the others? Temari quickened her pace and stopped in front of Shikamaru. "And what are you doing here?" she demanded.

He looked up idly and stared at the clouds. "Nothing much."

"Well, let us through."

"Aye, aye," Shikamaru said crossly, stepping aside. "You could have just passed through, anyway. There's no reason for you to ask…" A quiet moment. "Of course, the only reason why you're doing this is because you're a woman. Bah," he said, raising a brow. "Women are so troublesome." She snorted. "Unless, of course…" His earring flashed in the light. "…You're here for the wrong reasons…? Are you up to no good?" She flinched. "Because," he said, "you're obviously worried of breaking rules… doing so would blow your cover. So, Ms. Temari. What are you up to?"

"Shut up. It's nothing," Kankurou snarled, pushing past him and walking forward. He paused, then looked back nervously. Stepping aside, he held out a hand, saying, "Ah--I mean, go ahead, Gaara. Go on." Gaara looked at him blandly then walked past him, radiating a considerable amount of threat and pride. Kankurou growled at his back. "I hate that kid," he muttered under his breath with hatred. Temari sighed and followed them into the city, while Shikamaru kept a close watch from behind, remaining faithful to his post.

"Can't hide anything in Konoha," he said silently.

Tenten was just waking up a couple of blocks away; the light had been screaming into her window, and, while she really would have liked to stay asleep for four more minutes, there came a knock at her door. Nk, Nk, Nk… Tenten rolled off her bed and walked down the hallway while strapping her holster on. She never went anywhere without it. Her fingers trembling from exhaustion, it took her all of her strength to open the door. Rock Lee stood there. "Tenten!" he chirped. "Exercise your youth and train early in the morning from now on! Gai-sensei doesn't like you sleeping in! He says you are wasting your young life!" Tenten nodded tiredly, her head looking like a cork bobbing on the surface of a lake.

"Yeah, yeah… bye."

"Tenten!"

Fire was burning around her; her hair was still messy and standing at an eccentric angle. When her fingers curled into a fist, Lee ran for it. "Leave me alone, you homo!" she shouted, slamming the door shut. There was another knock on the door. Tenten straightened up her hair, then swung open the door gloomily. "What do you want? Who is it now?" she asked crabbily.

Neji stood there. "Tenten," he said coldly. "Exercise your punctuality and train early in the morning from now on, you idiot. Sensei does not like you sleeping in like a lazy person; you're wasting your time when you could be getting stronger." Tenten sighed. She couldn't fight Neji; he was too much of a stoic idiot to understand her anger anyway.

"All right, all right, Neji…" She groaned. "Whenever I train with you, we usually train from dawn to midnight…" The Hyuga brat snorted.

"Anything to become stronger, Tenten."

"That's all you ever think about."

"……. I know."

The day was fast. As far as all of the other instructors knew, nothing much had been accomplished. Even if they were in the end of autumn, the days passed quickly, as if it were winter. Rain fell more often; and the birds has begun their terrible journey south for the coming of the season. The trees were black with water; their leaves fallen and dead. It was several weeks later when something of occurrence happened.

Kiba sat on the porch of an old shrine; it was a quaint little shrine: it was old-fashioned and built in a forest with many trees and animals. Kiba felt at home in the wild, even if the 'wild' wasn't far from the actual village of Konoha. The bells hung along the roof of the shrine were completely still, their vibrant ringing halted by the whispering of the pattering downpour. Akamaru sniffed the air and yapped. "Owr, owr!" It's thin, pink tongue licked at the air, hanging out of the side of its mouth.

Kiba grinned in a canine-fashion and stroked the dog, who ran excitedly around the shrine, returning to its owner within a matter of seconds. "Ai, Akamaru!" Kiba said jovially. "It sure rains a lot now, eh?" The dog barked in agreement. Suddenly there came an odd whir behind Kiba. Without bothering to turn around, Kiba's smile dropped. "Ah," he said, removing his hood and leaning a back a little. "What is it, Uchiha?" Sasuke looked idle as he sidled into a place next to Kiba.

"Nothing," he said.

Kiba looked at the prodigy with an air of smugness. "What is it, suddenly? Now, you're talking to a lowly old commoner like me? An Inuzuka? What's up?" Sasuke didn't answer. Kiba stood up and sniffed the air, just as his dog did. "I've got to fly," he said jokingly. "If I can. Anyway, got to go. Listen, Sasuke. If you've got any problems, I'm sure Sakura and Ino could help you." Sasuke looked sick. Kiba let out a doggish laugh and ran into the rain, shoving Akamaru into his jacket. The rain was pattering gently down at Sasuke's feet; it filled every little empty space of the shrine. He closed his eyes, his head lifted up. For a minute, he thought he felt peace in his troubled mind; maybe it was a mirage… But it felt so real.

The air was still for a second. In an instant, Sasuke heard a rustling behind him. His insane senses perked up, but he remained in his position. This was an unfortunate place to pick a fight--the shrine didn't offer much room, and the rain outside shifted the surroundings; and besides, he had fallen into some sort of fatigue since his last encounter with Tsukiko. He had never noticed the poisoning tag she had left in his room. In moments, the room had filled with some foul-smelling purple mist. He hadn't had much of a chance to see the album either--he managed to return it, but without a glimpse of the inside. It was terribly disappointing for him. Some more rustling was heard.

When the rustling became louder, he couldn't stand it anymore; pulling a kunai from his holster with two fingers, he stood up and got into his stance. "Where are you?" he muttered, looking in all directions. Unluckily, he was not a Hyuga with a 360° vision range. Suddenly someone stumbled from the brush underneath the shrine. Gaara staggered into the shrine and disappeared in a ripple of sand. He reappeared behind him with a dry whistling sound as the grains of dry sand shifted. After "drying" off, he regained his composure and leaned against a wooden beam and stared straight ahead, not making any movements of attack. The dark-haired shinobi shifted uncomfortably.

The sand-nin turned his eerie eyes onto the Uchiha. "Don't worry," he said rather poisonously. "I'm not going to kill you today." The prodigy felt doubt tugging at the back of his mind.

"As if I can trust you," he hissed, holding his kunai up in front of him. "Why the sudden docile Gaara? Where did the killing monster go?" Gaara almost, almost flinched. A fleeting image of his uncle flashed through his mind, and pain ripped through his senses. It wasn't the pain that could be relaxed and tensioned; it was the pain of an old scar within flesh, heart and soul. It was the smell of blood that lingers when he dugs up his memories from the soil of his mind. The countless months of never sleeping hurt him more than ever.

"Shut up, filthy Uchiha," he said with a sigh, making him seem laid-back and relaxed. "I have no reason to kill anyone right now." The other shinobi looked at those black-rimmed eyes with confusion and exasperated anger. They were searching for an answer to the abrupt lacking of blood-lust. "It is raining," Gaara said blandly. "Shukaku does not find a battle in the rain advantageous for our thirst for death." Sasuke shuddered involuntarily then glared at the other boy; Gaara hadn't stirred once from his position.

"You could have said that with more gentle words… you always seem to choose to seem beastly, Gaara of the Sand." He turned away and looked up blankly at the gray clouds overhead. "It is raining…"

"I think we know that," Gaara said acidly.

"Of course we know!" Sasuke said testily, slapping a hand down on the hard wooden planks of the shrine. "I'm trying to seem metaphorical at the moment!"

Gaara sneered. "I don't even know if you're using the term 'metaphorical' correctly."

"Doesn't matter," Sasuke mumbled. "Nothing matters if Tsukiko isn't here. For some reason, I feel as if… wait. Why am I talking about this to _you _of all people?" He sighed and gave a small smile to the wooden boards of the shrine beneath his feet. The raindrops pattered on the toe of his shoe. A gentle but icy wind shattered the peace, causing the Uchiha to shudder from the cold temperature. Gaara kept his composure, and watched the prodigy with amusement. After the wind had passed, the bells overhead began to clang. Their eerie but beautiful music filled the ears of the two shinobi as the rain continued to patter as if it would never stop. Taking a deep breath, the dark-haired ninja stood up and faced the demon-possessed boy. "Gaara," he said quietly. Gaara didn't blink. With a cold touch of shock, Sasuke realized that he had not blinked since he had appeared. "Gaara, when you first came in, you looked… hurt. What happened?"

Gaara looked away, still unblinking. "Attacked."

"By who?" Gaara glared at Sasuke with annoyance.

"Do you think I would want to tell you everything? As if I'd come sniveling up to you, giving my own poor and cold testimony?" A speechless silence followed. Gaara finally closed his eyes, the black markings seeming to bunch into the shallow black eyes of a basilisk. "Attacked… by a man." When the other questioned why Gaara would attack a person, Gaara replied huskily, "_It _was restless…" The prodigy stayed silent. "I was destroyed by him… I shouldn't have listened to it… I shouldn't have!" He bit his lip. "He was strong. Beat me senseless--I felt the presence of a shrine nearby, and I fled. Only to find you here, Uchiha."

The 'Uchiha' took a step toward the other. "He? Who was he? What did he look like?"

Gaara unclosed his eyes. "The ANBU… last time I saw him, he was following me; some girl leapt out of nowhere and warded the attacker off…" The smallest of warmth appeared on his face. "…when I fled. I don't know if she's still after me… Uchiha…" Gaara looked at Sasuke with what looked like something rapturous and frightened at the same time. "She… She helped me… after she had defended me, I was frightened… I was frightened of her fear of me. When she turned around and smiled at me, I thought… I thought I had died… I felt… as if I was someone like everyone else… she made me feel like a human being." Suddenly, another rustle of the bushes heralded another visitor. The rain wasn't stopping. Tsukiko leapt out, and landed on her feet, blood spattered on her cheek. When she spotted Gaara, she gave him a gentle smile, the kind that a mother would give to her child, and Gaara's eyes widened and took a step back, his sand acting up. But when Tsukiko saw the Uchiha, she stopped, her eyes locked on his figure. A frown spread across her face, and she lowered her katana. Gaara looked at her scornfully. "You have followed me."

Tsukiko slid her Isamu back into her sheath. "You needed help, Gaara-san." The boy's eyes widened. So she knew who he was all along…? When she moved forward, he gave an unexpected whimper and backed up against the beam supporting the shrine. Tsukiko, without bothering to realize who Gaara had inside of him, drew him in for a soft hug; she felt him stiffen in her arms. "I am sorry, Gaara-san," she said softly. "I know what you go through--I am sorry." Gaara was frozen for an instant, his eyes clouded.

It seemed as if an hour passed before he felt the demon inside of him nagging. He'd never felt this way before--warm--soft-- how he hated having Shukaku with him wherever he went…! He would have stayed that way forever, even tied himself in that position if he could… it had been so long since he had had his last hug. His family had betrayed him, and this… this is what he had turned into--a monster. Another second inched by; Gaara felt himself relax; then Shukaku spoke again.

Suddenly he snapped, and he pulled himself away, growling, "I don't need your sympathy…" Tsukiko bit her lip but kept a steady gaze at the Uchiha, who looked a little disturbed.

"At least I know you are safe," she said quietly. "That's all I am here for. I guess I had better get going…" She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

The two looked at Tsukiko with vivid shock. "You never stay for more than five minutes," Sasuke said bitterly. Gaara did not say anything, but his lip protruded thoughtfully; this was rare: Shukaku barely gave him the liberty to think on his own. "Why can't you stay a bit longer?"

"With you two?" joked Tsukiko, seeing the smiles threatening to spread across their faces. "Maybe later but…" Her eyes glazed over, and she looked into another direction, as if suddenly fascinated by the late autumn leaf fluttering past her foot. "I have to leave right now." Her mind strayed toward the Akatsuki: Itachi was away for a long mission; he told her that he'd be back as soon as possible. It has been two weeks already. Worry had already taken a toll on her; she hadn't been eating, and although her slimming was definitely an improvement, the loss of sleep wasn't. She didn't have bags under her eyes, but her condition had worsened; her reflexes were a little slower, and her tendency to get in trouble was more probable. The scar she had gotten from her fight with the young Uchiha had gotten more visible; darker.

"… Bye then," Gaara said in his monotonous voice.

The other did not say anything, but looked down and off to the side; he closed his eyes and let Tsukiko disappear again. "She never does stay long," he said quietly. Tsukiko scaled the support beam that Gaara was leaning against and disappeared from sight as soon as she had climbed her way to the roof.

Jumping through the falling rain with difficulty, she managed to make her way to the shelter of a tall tree at the edge of the forest that the shrine was built against. Pushing her long, dripping hair out of her face, she jumped from branch to branch until she suddenly encountered a squad of Sound-nin. Narrowing her eyes, Tsukiko confronted them boldly and questioned their arrival. "What is it?" she asked, speaking to the leader of the squad, a burly man with his ear pierced with a bead.

The man smirked at Tsukiko's impatience, but spoke in answer: "Orochimaru-sama wishes to speak with you." A cloud crossed her features, and, escorted by the Sound-nin, they were in the base within a matter of minutes. Stepping through the stone gates, she approached the dark hallway, the Sound-nin still leading her. "Orochimaru-sama is very pleased with your work," the man continued out of the blue. "The taking out of the 27 teams of ANBU has especially given you an impression in this place," he said, grinning. "How did you do it?" Tsukiko chose not to answer, so the rest of the way was silent.

Once they reached a huge door, the Sound-nin and the man disappeared. Taking the two knobs in both of her hands, it took her both of her hands to push the colossal door open. Grunting with effort, she finally made it through. Orochimaru sat in front of her, a serpent-like smile on his gaunt face. Lowering down to one knee, Tsukiko immediately lowered her head.

Silence screamed in between them. The room was deadly and dark; you couldn't tell the walls from the ceiling, but the only evident light was coming from some place in the room. She thought it was from her left, but turning her eye to the left, she realized that there wasn't anything there. Maybe it was just an illusion.

Then he opened his white lips and she lifted her head to look at him squarely in the eye. Orochimaru spoke. "Tsukiko-kun, you prove yourself a valuable asset to my forces--if there is anything you need, name it…" She did not speak. Orochimaru's smile grew wider. "You sure? This is the last time and the first I'll be asking this… you see, I normally avoid being generous to my mere subordinates."

She stayed upon one knee, but kept her eyes locked with his yellow ones. "If you please, Orochimaru-sama. It is my pride that I have not asked any favor to any other lords that I have served in the past." The snake-man seemed satisfied with the answer, and gave a small nod of his head of approval. "All that I ask of you… is to let me to continue to serve you faithfully as I have done."

Orochimaru's smile widened even further, exposing his gleaming teeth. "Tsukiko-kun, you please me. You are indeed a most rare diamond in the rough. Valuable. Useful. Faithful." He awaited her reaction with eagerness. Expect a most loyal subordinate to greatly please her lord; the sight of a faithful servant usually raises one's morale. Orochimaru closed his eyes when his trusted subordinate spoke.

"Not at all, Milord," Tsukiko said politely, lowering her head in respect. "I am merely a servant tending to her master--my life is yours, Lord Orochimaru." More silence.

After a while, Orochimaru turned back to Tsukiko, who's fingers were clenched into a fist upon her chest in salute. He ran his long tongue over his sharp teeth and eyed her thoughtfully. She was useful for his purposes, indeed. Her astounding beauty and charm was more than any lord could ask for; she was talented, and had grace and charm even when she was wounded or injured. She knew when to speak and when to stay silence; she was Battle Glory. Tsukiko would prove useful to him. "Tsukiko, you are dismissed. You have my favor." She flashed him an honest smile, and he felt as if the whole room was filled with light. How he hated that smile; it was a bit too cheerful for the room. He held down his frustration as she turned her back on him. Even though he could not see her face, the smirk was almost evident.

"You need not be so flattering, Orochimaru-sama," she said, leaving the room.

When she reached the forest outside, she was blinded by the light. Even if it was raining, it was still bright… compared to… there. Her boots slipped on the mud on the stairway out of the base. When she finally reached the forest floor, the mud had thickened and was soon rising up to her ankle.

"Oh, ew…" she said in disgust.

Studying the trees around her, she recognized her whereabouts and leapt off in another direction. Hopping back onto the roof of the shrine from before, she curled her hands over the edge of the roof and looked down, her long hair swinging forward like a black curtain. Gaara was still there, but Sasuke had gone, apparently intimidated by the presence of the demon-bearing shinobi. Appearing to have sensed her presence, he turned his eyes to glance at her. A moment passed, and Tsukiko felt her face beginning to flush from being upside down. Giving Gaara a cheerful smile that made him blink and give her a curious expression, she crawled back onto the roof and sat, relaxed, upon the roof. The rain hit her face like feathers. The air was full of its hissing. She looked up at the rain, not bothered as the droplets of water hit the surface of her eye; it was the calm before the real storm.

Neji paced the room. There was uneasiness in the air. And he was aware of it. 'How empty the room sounded when tragedy was on its way.' It was something that Neji would wish he was aware of.

Taking his thumb and biting it until it bled, Gaara rubbed his fingers together. Two fingers. Smearing it on the wooden boards, he looked out. The rain was slowing, but it was definitely still present. Sighing, he jumped off, leaving Temari and Kankurou behind. No time to have them slow him down. Leaping from the wooden boards of the shrine, he disappeared into the forest and headed toward his own country; it wasn't far from Sunagakure. The shrine was, in fact, at the very border of Konohagakure. That explained the lack of annoying people buzzing around. The shrine was a perfect place to rest; it was isolated, for one thing. There was business to be done, and he did not need Tsukiko interfering. He was the Kazekage, after all. The Kazekage arrived into his own country. Interesting. Just one toe across the boundary, and he was the leader of an entire nation. The life of a country at his hands, depending on his judgment. How delicious.

When he reached the tower, there were already officials from Konoha there. Tsunade herself, huh? Tsunade leaned forward at his desk and her brown eyes flashed fire. "What is the meaning of this?" she shouted, tossing her head left and right. "We've heard from a captured girl that Orochimaru was to kill us all! She was caught…" a gleam, "no more than five minutes ago, before you got here. Turns out that she came from the same direction you came from. Is there a conspiracy involved, or what? Kazekage-dono, as Hokage of the Konohagakure, I demand to know what--is--going-on!" With each final word, she slammed her fist upon the desk, making it rattle. Gaara looked blankly at her, without batting an eye. Lowering the wide-brimmed hat that indicated his authority, he sighed.

"Hokage-dono," he said irritably, looking up at her reddening face. "The Sunagakure are involved in no conspiracy…" Tsunade snorted and gnashed her teeth.

"That's what they all say," she raged, trying and failing to keep her temper in line.

Gaara frowned and looked at Tsunade hatefully. "If you want an alliance, it is more effective to ask than to accuse." Tsunade flushed, then shut her mouth and calmed down. Closing her eyes, she waited for the Kazekage's next words: "Okay, then. An alliance must be made, due onto the circumstances of Orochimaru's most recent attack." He waved to someone behind him. "Get me the document," he said.

"Right away, sir," cried the shinobi obediently, disappearing around the corner. Upon passing Tsunade, he gave her a frightened look then was gone. The other Jounin behind Tsunade watched Gaara reproachfully, an interesting mixture of hatred and fear dancing across their faces. Gaara smirked and watched it with amusement. When the Sunagakure shinobi returned with an important-looking document in his hand, he placed it in front of the Kazekage. "Here it is, milord," he said hurriedly, fleeing.

The Kazekage looked up at the Hokage over steepled fingers, then flipped the paper over towards Tsunade, who signed it with her seal immediately. Gaara gave a small laugh, shaking his head as he too signed the document. After it was all done, he had a copy made, and gave the other copy to one of the Konohagakure Jounin, who immediately stuffed the important scroll in his jacket. Gaara was still looking at the uncomfortable Tsunade. He smirked again. "It is amazing how even the strongest willed of the lot can become mice when confronting danger, Hokage-dono." He sighed, and Tsunade stood up with her lips tightly closed. A minute passed without neither of them moving. Tsunade looked frozen. "Business over, Hokage-dono. Or are you going to stick around for some fun?" Gaara asked slyly.

Tsunade pushed the chair back in and turned her back on Gaara, snorting. "Leaving is fine with me. No time can be wasted when dealing with that horrible Missing-nin. Orochimaru…" She was trying to look firm for her Jounin, but her fear was obvious. The last time she had gotten into a conflict with Orochimaru, the results were not so good. The country barely got out of the ordeal alive.

Now that he had time to recuperate, the chances were very slim that Konoha would survive another attack from Orochimaru, the Sa-nin.

Back in Konohagakure, things were not going as smooth. Tsukiko had been captured by the ANBU the very same day she had been at the shrine, after she had spoken to Orochimaru. The cell was cold, but Tsukiko leaned against the wall, feeling the freezing stone wall dig ice daggers into her back. Closing her eyes, she bit her lower lip and then raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Tsukiko… you idiot," she muttered, her back slipping down slightly on the wall from the grime. It was dark; the only light was the one outside her cell on the ceiling in the hallway. The cell across from hers was totally empty. No one to talk to.

She removed her cropped kimono and tightened the wide bandages that were wrapped around her bosom; it wasn't sufficient--it still exposed much of her flat stomach and chest. But that was enough to keep you warm. The kimono was thin, and only made her colder. Setting her kimono aside, she sat there in her pants and bandages and thought about everything that had happened. Orochimaru's sudden compliments, Sasuke's interference, and the look Gaara had given her as the result of a casual smile; it was almost as if she was playing the main character in a story. Sighing, she gave a weak smile and opened her eyes.

It wasn't until there was a rattle at her door when she looked toward the unpromising light. A Jounin was standing there, holding a key: Hatake Kakashi. "I've seen you before," he said, opening her door. "You should get some exercise, at least… to keep our prisoners healthy, you know?" When she didn't move, he lost his patience. "Tsukiko! Get out of there, now! You're needed out in the yard for duty!"

Tsukiko turned a lazy eye towards Kakashi. "What is the point of keeping me healthy when we are all destined to die?" she groaned, turning her head away with a frown on her face.

"You're lucky we let you keep the clothes you have on, because you're a girl, you know."

"I do not care." Kakashi stopped what he was doing, which was entering her cell to drag her out. His one exposed eye watched her thoughtfully as she spoke. "When one is in jail… it is almost as if they have all of their hope drained from their bodies. It is torture, Hatake Kakashi. I would rather die here like this, than to try my hardest to survive… I am done-for…" Kakashi blinked, but that was all it took. She was gone. Panic gushed through his veins, and he whirled around; silence: the absence of the expected jingling was apparent, and Kakashi paled. She had stolen the keys! Tsukiko was running on the ceiling, and upon passing a familiar person's cell, she tossed the key to him through the bars.

"Here you go! Free everyone!" she cried.

"Many thanks, Tsukiko-chan!" the criminal said joyously.

Tsukiko broke out into open air; and filled her lungs with the sweet wind that was drifting across the dirty yard. The other prisoners looked up in alarm but she was already gone.

She heard the ANBU and supervising Jounin, including Kakashi; leaping into the street, she flattened herself against the wall of an old building, and waited tensely until the footsteps of her pursuers faded away. Sighing, she turned around to face the cold darkness of the alley. Sighing, she gripped the bandages around her waist and tightened it, the chilly breeze trickling through the alley causing her exposed stomach to make her shiver. She closed her eyes tightly, before hearing someone cough right next to her. Someone was already there. Before she could realize who it was, she felt a blow to her stomach; she gave a tiny intake of breath, and everything went black.

When she came to, she found herself wrapped up in something softer than what she had worn in the jail cell, in which, she was proud to say, she had not stayed in for more than 90 minutes. She immediately sat up, and upon the resounding bouncing, she decided that she was in a very fine bed. Looking around, she realized that, wherever she was, she was somewhere rich. Looking down at her thighs, the soft material was an beautiful red Chinese-embroidered silk dress. She blanched. A dress! She just didn't believe in dresses!

Swallowing her horror, she stood up and looked into a mirror that stood proudly at the very front of the room, on the wall opposite the door. Her hair had been washed, and was tied in an elegant oriental fashion. A sparkling pin had been fitted into her hair, and she felt sick. The dress was… uncommonly tight. Tsukiko suddenly stopped gagging, then surveyed her body in the mirror. She hadn't seen herself for days, due to the mischief she had been making. It was--pretty curvy, she thought, as she turned herself round and round. Tsukiko frowned at her make-upped face and tried in vain to tug the hairpin out of her black hair. Screwing her face up in concentration, she attempted to tug the dress off by removing the buttons on the front of her dress. When she found that everything was securely fastened, she heard a creaking of the doorway. Turning around in horror, recognition and anger flashed through her pretty face upon seeing who was standing there. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, backing toward the mirror.

Neji didn't look too pleased to see her, either. He glared with those bottomless white eyes, and Tsukiko involuntarily shivered, but did not blink as he advanced across the room toward her. After looking her up and down with hot satisfaction, the odd look in his eye vanished as he consulted her with grave manners. "So," he said. "You've become a criminal, by what Kakashi-san has told me."

Silence roared.

Tsukiko looked up into his eyes with a resolved look. "I was a criminal since the day I was born… or have you forgotten what I have done to your father to risk his life? Listen to me, Hyuga. Do not get involved with my affairs, it is really unnecessary for you to--" she grimaced as he took another step; he was already less than a foot away, as is "--report me." Neji smirked.

"I do not recall saying that I was going to report you, Tsukiko-chan."

She allowed him the privilege to see her give a sigh of relief. Then suddenly, in one sweeping motion, he pinned her to the wall; Tsukiko felt the cold tip of a kunai a the her neck, and realizing that she had no weapons, and, seeing that her right wrist were pinned, all she could do was to turned her head to the side, exposing the scar gotten from her recent tussle. Neji frowned and ran a finger along the pale streak on her cheek, giving her sudden, electric currents that passed through her body. Turning his eyes from the scar to her eyes, he gave her a questioning look. Tsukiko pursed her lips and muttered, "My affair is not yours."

Disgusted, Neji pushed the kunai deeper into her throat. Blood suddenly seeped through the wound, and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. She bit her lip and groaned. Neji gave a triumphant smirk, something he was used to flashing. "You're too valuable to hand over to the authorities… maybe I should just… keep you here, in this room, locked up; look at me, Tsukiko-chan," he said, roughly seizing her chin and pulling it to his face. "Do you not realize how much I've hated you all these years? All this time, I've been looking for you, searching… and all this time you've been hiding away with that precious Akatsuki of yours…"

"My loyalty lies with the Akatsuki and Lord Orochimaru alone," she moaned, panting from the loss of breath. The dress was tight enough, but Neji had pushed her against the wall, seeing that he had to hold her chin in place, and at the same time, he had to keep the kunai at her neck. Seeing her struggle, he let out a small smile of satisfaction. "I bend to no one else!"

Neji growled into her ear, putting his head over her shoulder: "You look lovely in that dress, Tsukiko-chan… dazzlingly gorgeous…" again, that odd tingling sensation burst through Tsukiko as his smooth, deep voice cut into her mind, "…but do you really think you can fight in it?" Cold reality pounded on Tsukiko like waves breaking on the rocks. Without her weapons, and her normal garment, she was completely defenseless. All she could do now was… He felt her wriggle against him in a desperate flight for escape; having the tightly-clothed girl struggle up against his body made heat rise up to his face, but he firmed his resolve, ignoring his raging hormones. Amused, he let her wriggle her way free, and watched as she ran to the center of the room, looking about wildly, for an exit. Seeing none, she ran for the door, but upon reaching for the doorknob, she was surprised to see Neji there instead.

"Almost forgot that you are a shinobi," she panted, in a way of an insult, Neji's jaw twitched in annoyance, but he kept a steady watch-over as she vainly tried to push him away. Since he wasn't go be budged, she stood back, then on second though, grabbed a chair and threw it at him with so much force that he was forced to dodge. And that was the instant she needed. When the dust settled, she was nowhere to be seen, but he knew that she was still inside, hiding somewhere. That's what she wanted. She wanted him to leave, thinking that she had already escaped. Then, could true safe escaping commence.

Smirking again, he looked up at the ceiling, expecting to see her hiding on the ceiling. But he sensed her behind him, because she had kept a steady gain by staying behind him, moving along with him without a sound. "You forget that I am a Hyuga," he said out loud. He was meaning the 360 degree vision that came along with his impressive pedigree. If he had been seeking a wife, he would have had no trouble finding a girl who would gladly share her life with him. But Neji's intentions were not of thoughts of a comfortable life with a homely woman who would evolve as a maternal angel. His intentions was to play with his prey.

Straightening, he suddenly swung around and landed an explosive kick at Tsukiko who had been behind him, as he had expected. There was a loud smashing as the kick found ground, and Tsukiko was blasted like a rocket to the wall above the bed. She landed on the soft mattress on her back, and in a daze, she realized that someone was dragging her off the bed by her ankle. Struggling, she stood up to be met by another impressive punch that made her lip bleed. She collapsed onto the floor, then, in blind anger, she seized his arm and gave him a punishing return-punch that made him slam into the ground. Standing up quicker than she expected, he kicked her ankles, causing her to fall.

He grabbed a kunai then pinned her to the floor in the same manner as he had done to her on the wall. Then, he proceeded to attempting to pushing the kunai into the throat, with much force, much more force than before. Her fingers clutched at his own, trying to keep the kunai from killing her. She was biting her lip, and blood trickled from her lip down her chin and her neck; her dark hair was strewn about her face, hiding one eye from view. Her chest was rising up and falling with great speed, and her eyes were fogged up, as if she were on some silent drug. She had a huge attempt to stop him, and with a huge amount of effort, she threw his arm back, causing him to sit up and fumble with his blade.

In anger, he attempted to stab her stomach instead, and with a savage look in his eyes, he brought his arm down with great force, screwing his eyes shut--a clanging of steel--Tsukiko's cry--He opened his eyes.

His blade had never met its target. It was blocked by a four-winged blade larger than his head; one of the projecting wings were stuck onto the frame of the bed next to them. Sasuke glowered down at Neji, who looked outraged. Neji stood up and, seizing a katana from the bed-side, and pointed it at the Uchiha. "Get out of my house," he growled.

Ignoring the other's command, the Uchiha bent down to pick up the unconscious victim, and disappeared without a word. Neji lowered the katana, then snorted, tossing the weapon aside, and, with an air of Hyuga pride, walked out the door, ignoring the pools of blood, the broken chair, and the dark atmosphere of the room. A sudden feeling as if she were jumping without using her legs; and then, moving at great speeds… Tsukiko felt a swishing of air, and when coming to a halt, a gentle, pleasant, feathery feeling on her mouth.

After the moving had stopped, and the air rushing past her had halted its progress, Tsukiko turned her head side to side and tried to speak, but only moans escape. She could almost taste the blood that was leaking faintly from her lip. When she tried to open her eyes, they were stuck together with what seemed to be an invisible substance. That light, gentle feeling hadn't ceased, however, and at this, Tsukiko was very confused about. "Mmmph…" she muttered, frowning and turning her head to the side.

The feathering feeling stopped.

Unable to open her own eyes from the pain constantly searing down her throat, with a huge amount of effort, she rolled over; at least, she tried. She discovered that something had a firm grip upon her back and the rear of her head. Suddenly, instincts kicked in, and she punched out violently with her left hand. Her fist collided with something solid, and there was a dull grunt on the receiving end of her attack.

Almost like magic, her eyes became unstuck, and she came fully into consciousness. The first thing she did was analyze her environment. Eyes raised to the ceiling, she suddenly realized something… _ceiling… so she was in someone's home? _Tsukiko cursed an unmentionable word, then sat straight up. The annoying prodigy was beside her, nursing a huge bruise on his head. She lay herself back down, closing her eyes and sighing. Maybe she was on drugs or something… how could she have gotten into this house if she… _'No way!' _A sudden thought pushed through her ears and out the other side of her head. _'Tsukiko! Have you been drinking? Then, you go and get yourself hooked up so you can lose your virginity!' _the voice nagged. She ignored the mysterious counselor and concentrated on keeping her eyes closed. Suddenly, there was that feathery feeling on her lips again. And this time, she heard someone calling.

"Tsukiko-chan…"

When she opened her eyes, she was met with the dark ones of someone that was much too familiar… and too close. She lay there, frozen, as he slobbered his passionate kisses all over her mouth. The feathery feeling was extremely… nice; Tsukiko mentally rolled her eyes. Oh, very poetic. Suddenly she snapped, and the first instinct that came to her mind was.. Pull away! She felt her mind screaming in agony as he continued his activity, his groans of desire and sadness muffled against her lips.

After a while, it was getting out of hand, so she pushed him away (with considerable difficulty) and sat up, before standing up completely and backing towards the wall, looking about wildly for the door out of his apartment. Sasuke was having difficulty breathing; he was clutching at the material on his chest, and sweating. He had no doubt that he had enjoyed that little moment that he had stolen so ruthlessly from Tsukiko, but it was worth it; even the biggest player in the village couldn't have missed that opportunity. Tsukiko dashed from wall to wall, avoiding Sasuke with all the stealth she could muster, if stealth was possible in a room. She attempted to jump out the window as she had done before, but discovering that her dress would most certainly rip, she glowered. She sat back down on a corner and buried her head in her arms, looking very panicked and scared. This of course, wasn't what she felt at the moment.

Sasuke walked over and stared down at her questioningly; when he knelt down and narrowed his eyes, she squealed and cowered, her eyes wild and wide with fear. After a moment of hyperventilation, she gasped, "Get away from me… Filthy Uchiha!" Sasuke seemed quite unperturbed by this little comment.

He took a step and put a tentative hand on her shoulder, which she slapped away immediately. "Tsukiko-chan…" He sat back and sighed, running his hand through his thick black hair in exasperation. "Listen to me. It was the only thing I could do--what if he… when he… you were…" He closed his eyes and turned away from her. When she had calmed down, he looked up at her with concern in his eyes. "I was afraid he would have raped you, he could have…" Tsukiko felt ice pummel her stomach.

She shrunk even more and cuddled herself, a frightened and frenzied expression on her face; the fight with Neji was just too explosive: he could have murdered her, and, Sasuke was right. Neji could have raped her right there and then, when she was knocked out. She could have died, if it were not for Sasuke's lucky arrival. Tsukiko looked up and gave him a twisted smile of gratitude. "Thank you very much," she said softly. "But I need to leave…I… the Akatsu--" She stopped herself. No need to get Sasuke raving up like Neji about her being part of the Akatsuki; she bit her nail, then shakily stood up, her tight, red, dress making it quite difficult to do so. Tsukiko brushed herself off, then, realizing that the pin was still fastened in her hair, she tried to remove it; her fingers were halfway up to her hair when she decided that it just wasn't worth the effort. She made her way across the room, but stopped when he spoke.

"You look breathtakingly beautiful, Tsukiko-chan…" he looked down, blushing, while Tsukiko watched him, poised in front of the door, "… Whether you're in that dress or in anything else, you look beautiful to me." He looked up, his hope for her approval of his compliment getting the better of him. He felt his insides squirm with excitement as she gave him a wily smile, then revealed her gleaming, white teeth as she left with a melodious 'I know that, Sasuke', and left without another word. Score one. According to Sakura, chicks dig having the opposite sex shower them with over-exaggerated compliments; but this time, he wasn't exaggerating at all. Sasuke sighed and slid his back down the wall until he rested on the floor.

The silence was overwhelming. A small smile was tugging at his lips, his eyes closed in amusement, as he uttered the first sound in what seemed like hours.

"What a girl."

It was a few days later when the actual 'storm' built up to a ruckus.

The first signs of ill future of the country was beginning to show.


End file.
